


I See You

by ElvenSister



Series: The Tale of The Grinning Elf [3]
Category: Dragon Age - All Media Types
Genre: F/M, Humor, Mild Smut, Tongue-in-cheek, Trespasser DLC
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-29
Updated: 2016-01-15
Packaged: 2018-05-10 06:14:04
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 16,054
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5573896
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ElvenSister/pseuds/ElvenSister
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Ellana is ready to disband the Inquisition and go do... Something. Something will definitely not include dreaming about Solas, no.</p><p>The plan is... Not set, but in the works, and the Exalted Council has begun (to bore everyone) when there is an emergency and the Inquisitor is needed once again.</p><p>--</p><p>This is an alternate ending to Waking Up. If you have not read that, you should.</p><p>Contains spoilers for the Trespasser DLC.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Here We Go Again

”Vhenan…”

The endearment was whispered hoarsely into her ear as the familiar, well-formed body was moving against hers. She felt his eager lips seeking hers and his tongue dive straight into her mouth once they kissed. They were both breathing too heavily for a long kiss but a short one felt intimate and important all the same.

He picked one of her legs up and propped it on his shoulder. The new position made them both moan out their pleasure and increased their urgency. The tempo picked up to almost desperate as they chased their peak. It did not take long before they finished together, riding out their ecstasy in unison.

He fell next to her and pulled her close to kiss her nose. She smiled and looked into his loving, grey eyes.

“I am so happy that you came back, Solas,” Ellana said.

“But I did no such thing, vhenan,” he replied.

Then he faded away from her. Ellana tried grabbing at him, but he was already gone. The tears of disappointment burned behind her lashes. She felt another presence at the edge of her dream.

“I know that you are there!” Ellana yelled and turned to look at the invader, but saw nothing. “If it is you, Cole, you should run along. If you are a demon, come here, for I feel like beating the crap out of someone. If you are someone else… Mind your own fucking business!”

The presence disappeared and Ellana nodded. Damned nosy, peeping Tom buggers, disturbing her dream. And such a nice dream it had been while it lasted. Now the good part was over and it was probably time to wake up, anyway.

Ellana opened her eyes in her room. She sat up and stretched. Fen’Harel stirred from his place and walked over to say good morning to her. She petted her wolf and smiled at him.

It took an effort to get out of the bed and get dressed. Not because mornings in general were difficult for Ellana, for they were not. She was not particularly excited about what she had to look forward to that day. She had to go to the Winter Palace. The last time had been such a blast, Ellana thought sourly, it would have been enough to last her an entire lifetime. But no, she had to go back and talk to all the politicians, who were arguing about what to do with the Inquisition.

Ellana thought the council a bloody waste of time. She was ready to disband the Inquisition. She had been ready to do that for the better part of a year. Corypheus was dead. The Breach was gone. They had gone around closing the little rifts. It had taken time, but it was done. The Inquisition had fulfilled its purpose. There was no point in maintaining the institution that was meant, from the beginning, to cease to exist with the cause that had given birth to it.

Ellana entered the hall and greeted the people there. She prepared Fen’Harel’s breakfast and left him to it before taking some for herself. She went to a table and sat next to Cullen. The Commander was sitting up but he looked like he was still asleep.

“You awake, Cullen?” Ellana asked and poked his shoulder.

“Aha.”

“Why are your eyes closed?”

“They’re not,” he said groggily.

“I am happy to see that you are ‘the glass is half full and the eyes are half open’ sort of a person,” Ellana said, “I take it that Matthew is still not sleeping well?”

“No,” he replied, “How such a little person can make such a big noise, I’ll never understand.”

Ellana hummed apologetically. Matthew was the cutest baby ever with his big, brown eyes and black curls. His birth a few months back had brought an immeasurable amount of happiness to a lot of people. It was a pity that his stomach troubles had kept his parents awake for so long.

“I think you should take Augustine today,” Ellana said, “His back is so wide that you will not fall off even if you nod off.”

“Thanks, but that won’t be necessary.”

“I insist.”

“Alright, thank you,” Cullen conceded. He was clearly too tired to argue.

\--

“Here we are,” Ellana said, “At the vipers’ nest. Lovely. And there is a parade. Even better.”

“We are through the gates, Inquisitor,” Josephine said, “The game has already begun.”

“We made it alive thus far,” said Dario de Ayala, who had replaced Leliana as the Inquisition’s spymaster, “I’m a little bit surprised. The easiest way to solve this problem would have been to kill us before the talks even began. That would have made the game unnecessary.”

Ellana rolled her eyes at the former Antivan Crow. He was gorgeous, but he could be such a bummer.

“That would have been considered too heavy-handed and inelegant for the game,” Josephine said, “To truly and successfully play the game, you need to be cunning and mysterious.”

“In other words: keep your opinions to yourself and play nice with the nobs?” Ellana said.

“I would not phrase it quite like that, but yes,” the ambassador replied, “We should wake Cullen, I think. Someone is bound to notice if he falls off his steed.”

Ellana jabbed Cullen which caused the Commander to jump a little. It was lucky that he was riding the gigantic nug.

“Whazzatnow,” he mumbled before collecting himself. “Ah, we’re here.”

Ellana could not help but laugh at her friend.

“You are such an advertisement for getting children,” she teased, “I can already see the posters: ‘Are you bored? Do you feel like too much of your time is spent sleeping? Get busy, get a baby! You will never be bored again!’”

“Hah, hah,” Cullen said mirthlessly, “I’ll be sure to laugh at you when it’s your turn, Inquisitor.”

“Speaking of which,” Josephine said, “The amount of proposals has grown considerably due to the council. There are many men of noble birth, who would be honored to wed you, Inquisitor.”

“So there are guys out there, who would love to marry a complete stranger for power, fame, and money? That sounds lovely,” Ellana said dryly.

“That is the way of the world,” Josephine replied, “It is not uncommon for notable individuals to strengthen the position of their family or state by marriage. If you were so inclined, such an alliance would be most helpful to the Inquisition, as well.”

Ellana just glared at her.

“But of course, no one would expect that of you,” the ambassador hastened to add, “Unless that was your choice. I simply mean to say that there are many very nice, charming gentlemen, who would be happy to stand by your side and support you, if you gave them the chance.”

Ellana nodded. Josephine’s underlying message was that not all men were like Solas. That there were others, and they would not leave her without an explanation.

Ellana forced a polite smile as she waved at the people gathered to greet and welcome them. It had been two years since she had seen Solas. Two years and several months since he had left her. She had tried to move on, she really had. She was determined not to be one of those pathetic, moronic women you saw in romance novels, who kept weeping after the men that had left them. Who fell apart when they were alone. She had tried dating, had gone out with a couple of different guys, but it had not gone anywhere. There had been no spark, no warmth in her heart. Solas had stolen it, damn him, and had never given it back.

As soon as they dismounted, they were whisked inside in a flurry of activity. There were many people to greet and everyone had something to say about the potential future of the Inquisition. They were so eager to get it said that Ellana could not get a word in edgewise. She fell back on nodding and smiling and cursing at diplomats in her mind. Everyone thought that the council was such a big deal and that it would change the world in some way. Ellana had no idea, where they got that from. Corypheus had been a big deal. His rise and fall had changed the world, not the possible fate of the Inquisition.

When Ellana was finally able to ditch the diplomats, she went out to find her friends. They had scattered to the winds after the death of Corypheus, but they had come to the Winter Palace for the council. The first one she saw was Varric, who was being pestered by an annoyed man.

“My dear Viscount,” she said and bowed formally, “You are looking well today.”

“Not you too,” Varric replied, “People are getting way too much enjoyment out of my title.”

“And why should we not? I laughed my ass off when I found out,” Ellana said, “But honestly, Varric, congratulations. I am certain that you make an excellent Viscount.”

“Thanks,” the dwarf said and gave her a wide grin, “That means a lot, coming from you, Inquisitor.”

“So, is the Harrowing Story of the Viscount in the works yet?”

“You know I don’t write about myself,” he replied, “There’s no fun in that.”

“Come on, you should try it. It could be fun to come up with a new sexual position for yourself for once,” Ellana suggested.

“For the last time, I don’t write porn!”

“She rode him hard and fast, his hands on her hips and hers on her breasts. The slick sounds of their sweaty bodies moving together and their strangled moans filled the room,” Ellana quoted his last book from memory, “How is that not porn, Varric?”

“What is porn, really?” Varric said, “There has never been much agreement on that…”

“Is this an appropriate conversation to have in front of the Winter Palace?”

Ellana and Varric looked at the man, who had been pestering Varric a moment earlier.

“Do you suggest that we have this conversation inside the Winter Palace, ser?” Ellana asked.

“I suggest that you have this conversation in the Pearl!” he replied, his face red.

“The Pearl?”

“The brothel of Kirkwall,” Varric explained, “Bran here is the Seneschal of Kirkwall. He likes the word ‘appropriate’.”

“I can see that,” Ellana replied, “Well, my apologies, if we offended your sensibilities, ser. To avoid that happening again, you should better go stand a little farther away. When Varric and I meet, we tend not to be appropriate.”

“But you are the Inquisitor! And he is the viscount!”

“Yes? And?” Ellana looked at him with a raised eyebrow, waiting for him to go on.

Bran flailed his hands in frustration and stepped away, probably appalled by such disregard to etiquette.

“He seems fun,” Ellana said.

“You have no idea,” Varric replied, “You should have seen how mad he got, when I prepared your present.”

“You got me a present? That is so sweet of you, Varric.”

“It’s nothing much, considering the things you have done,” he said, “Just a title and an estate and the key to the city.”

Ellana stared at Varric for a minute before she hugged him tightly.

“Thank you,” she said, “I hardly know what to say.”

“I wanted to let you know that no matter, what happens here, you have a place to go,” he said.

\--

Varric was not the only one, who had made plans for Ellana. Sera offered her a chance to become a Red Jenny. Ellana thanked her, but told her the truth – she really did not see herself as a Jenny. She promised to be one of their friends, though. 

Cole had taken up matchmaking, of all things. Ellana watched him do his thing. He was surprisingly good at it. Maybe he could help her, she thought. 

“Someone is in pain,” he said right then and looked straight at her, “You could help him. He needs it, but he won’t say. He doesn’t dare to.”

“Who is in pain, Cole?”

“You’ll see.”

Ellana sighed. The spirit had not grown out of being cryptic.

“You could tell me,” she said, “It would be easier to help this person, if I knew who he was.”

“I’ve told him that.”

Ellana saw that this conversation was going nowhere. She bid the spirit goodbye and went to chat with Blackwall. No, Thom Rainier. He had used his real name since leaving the Inquisition. He had gone around apologizing to people and being hit in the face and/or the balls. A lot.

“I thought taking down Corypheus would be hard,” he said, “It was a picnic compared to this.”

“It is good that your armor is top notch,” Ellana said, “That reminds me, have you been keeping in touch with Josephine?”

“How do those two thoughts coincide in your head?”

“You get hit in the balls at lot. Armor keeps those hits from causing permanent damage to your family jewels so that you will have the chance to make a baby one day, if you so choose. Possibly with Josephine. So have you been keeping in touch with her?”

“There has been the occasional letter, yes,” he replied, looking awkward, “I just… She’s a classy lady, Inquisitor. She deserves someone better than me.”

“Is that not for her to decide?” Ellana asked, “You should go see her. That may lessen her enthusiasm to marry me off to some random noble with a nice title and a huge army.”

“Still no word from Solas?”

“No, and I do not expect there to be,” Ellana said, “It has been two years, Thom. Wherever he is and whatever he is doing, I doubt he is thinking about the woman he dumped over two years ago.”

“Sorry.”

“There is no reason to be. What you should be is happy. With Josephine. So run along now, Thom. I will see you later.”

He left to look for Josephine and Ellana went to see Dorian, the ambassador of Tevinter.

“You look well,” Ellana said after hugging her friend.

“Naturally,” he replied, “I wish I could say that same about you but, alas…”

“Yes, I know, I hate this outfit, too,” she said and pulled self-consciously at the hem of her shirt, “I have no idea why they insist I wear this at formal occasions. I look like a little boy. I miss my armor.”

“Not to worry, I’m sure you will get to wear it before this thing comes to an end.”

“Aren’t you the optimist? Regardless, tell me what has happened since your last letter.”

They sat down and Dorian told of his father’s death and the circumstances surrounding it. It did sound suspicious. Dorian had inherited his seat and was now a magister. He had decided to make Tevinter a better place, to change it from the inside. Ellana was sorry to see her friend stationed permanently so far from her, but she agreed with his goals and was happy that he had found his purpose.

Ellana left Dorian with the promise of seeing him again soon. She chatted with Vivienne for a minute before searching for the two representatives she was supposed to meet. Duke Cyril of Orlais wanted to work together with the Inquisition, which Ellana translated to mean that Orlais wanted to control them. Arl Teagan of Ferelden wanted to disband the Inquisition. He was worried at the army right next to their border. Ellana understood why he was nervous. Ferelden had had bad experiences with situations such as this.

Ellana exchanged a few words with Divine Victoria. Leliana had left her rogue’s robes behind and graduated into the horrible Chantry ones. Her hat made Ellana want to throw a snowball at it. Did Leliana have no say in what she had to wear? Then again, neither did she.

\--

The Exalted Council began the next morning. Ellana had spent most of the previous night in the pub with Sera and the Red Jennies and Bull and the Chargers. When she was staring at the people on the raised platform, she realized that it had not been one of her wisest moves. She should not have been drinking on the night before the council – she should have been drinking during it.

Ellana almost yodeled out of joy, when she was called to handle an emergency. There was a body.

“A Qunari warrior in full armor,” Leliana said, “How curious.”

“Killed by magic and a blade,” Dario said from the ground, where he had crouched to examine the corpse, “I wonder, who the target was.”

“You think that he was an assassin?” Ellana asked, “He does not look like one.”

“They never do,” Dario said, “Wouldn’t be much of an assassin if you saw him coming, yes?”

“How can you not see a Qunari coming?” Ellana asked.

“If it’s an assassin, you won’t. Not until you hear the mocking voice in your ear. But then it’s too late.”

“We should find out, where he came from,” Leliana said, “And keep this from the council until we do.”

“Are you sure? Will that not get them even madder?” Ellana asked.

“Josephine can handle them,” Leliana, “You should investigate before spreading panic. This does not bode well.”

“I agree,” Dario said.

“Fine. I will follow the blood trail and see, where it goes.”

Ellana followed the trail. It took her to an active Eluvian. 

It looks like Dorian was right, Ellana thought. She would finally get rid of her stupid formal attire.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I thought I should start you up with something that will not happen again for some time, since Solas doesn't make an appearance until the end of the DLC. I hope you don't mind.


	2. Fools Hope

”I know I’ve said this before, but the weirdest shit happens to you, Inquisitor.”

“You mean to say that Hawke did not lead you to find dead Qunari from the place between the waking world and the Fade?” Ellana asked Varric. “I am shocked.”

“Most of the Qunari weren’t dead until we found them,” Varric replied, “And they were all, you know, here.”

“What really boggles me is that this does not seem like somewhere one would expect to find Qunari,” Ellana said, “They are so vehemently anti-magic, while this place is nothing but.”

“You called this the Crossroads?” Thom asked.

“Morrigan did,” Ellana answered, “Here the Eluvians meet, as you can see.”

They looked at the many Eluvians in the distance. It would take a long time to examine, where they all went, but this was not the time. They had come to find out, where that Qunari warrior had originated from.

The blood trail was easy to follow, even in the Crossroads. It led to another Eluvian. They stepped through it and found what looked like ancient elven ruins. They found another dead Qunari, dressed like the previous one. They also found another Eluvian and went through.

“Wow,” Varric said.

Ellana had to agree. They were all staring at a group of Qunari, who had been frozen as statues.

“Remarkable,” Dorian commented, “I have never seen magic like that. Whoever did this has immense power.”

“I don’t like this,” Thom said, “Those poor bastards had no chance. What happens if such power is released on innocent people?”

“That could be like Corypheus all over again,” Ellana replied, “Let’s hope that it will never happen.”

They journeyed on to find new ruins and Eluvians and, eventually, fights.

“What the hell did you say to it?” Thom asked, as he bashed one of the attacking elven spirits with his shield.

“That if he was going to wear those leggings, he should stuff a sock down there,” Ellana replied from where she was slashing one of the enemies with her spirit sword, “I missed fighting so badly that I picked a fight with spirits older than the language we are speaking.”

“Why did they attack us, then?” Dorian asked.

“Beats me. He said something about Fen’Harel before they attacked. I think that they are his; probably a defense system of some sort.”

“Wasn’t Fen’Harel the bad one?” Varric asked, “That’s what Daisy said, anyway.”

“That is, what the lore says,” Ellana replied, “Though I do not know anymore. My time with the Inquisition has proven me how much the Dalish have gotten wrong. Our goddess of motherhood and justice turned out to be Morrigan’s mother. I would not be surprised, if Fen’Harel was roaming the lands and was something completely different from the lore.”

“Do you think he’s going to be pissed once he finds out that you named your wolf after him?” Varric asked.

“I hope not,” Ellana said, “I would rather not have to face the wrath of the Dread Wolf, whatever he is.”

“Going by the class of his defenses, I agree,” Thom said.

When they finally got rid of the spirits, they wandered onwards. There were walls that had been made with magic. As Ellana touched the magic, she got flashes, like messages that had been imbedded in the magic. They told of Fen’Harel and what he had really done. And of the gods of the Dalish and what they had really been. It was… Astounding.

“Inquisitor, are you alright?” Varric asked, “You don’t look so good.”

“I… I think I need to sit down,” Ellana said.

Ellana stared at nothing as the thoughts raced in her head. For her whole life, she had worshipped mortal beings, terrible ones at that, who had enslaved their fellow elves and expected to be revered. She had prayed to them, asked them for guidance, and thanked them for the good things she had gotten. She had looked forward to meeting them in the afterlife. If that happened now, she would love to kick their asses thoroughly for everything they had done, though it would never be enough. How in the world had the Dalish gotten it so wrong? The Evanuris were everything the Dalish despised. How had they ended up praying to them? Ellana hardly felt the tears that were running down her cheeks.

And then there was Fen’Harel. She had never been quite as weary of him as she had been taught to be. Fen’Harel had been the odd man out and Ellana had sympathized with him. She had had no idea how awesome he had been. The rebel mage, who freed others, taught them the truth, and told them not to worship him. He had given them the will to fight their oppressors. He had been… Well, what she had been during the fight against Corypheus. A symbol. She was certain that there was more to the story than the walls had told her, but there was truth in it, too. She would love to meet him one day. Going by all that they had seen on this trip, it seemed likely that she would.

Ellana was shaken out of her thoughts when Dorian sat next to her and hugged her tightly.

“I’m sorry, my friend,” he said, “I know this must be hard.”

“If I was a guy, I would be hard. For Fen’Harel,” Ellana said, “As for the rest of it… I… I cannot think about it right now or I will start cursing the heavens or something like that. Let’s go kill more spirits. Or something. Anything.”

Ellana was fortunate. They found more spirits to kill. And Qunari, who attacked them on sight.

“What have I done to the Qunari?” Ellana asked, as the roaring hoard ran at them with their weapons raised.

“Did you tell them to add socks somewhere?” Varric asked.

“Not on purpose. Besides, it is not like they need any. Just look at those bulges. Oh, my…”

“Try not to get killed, while you stare at their stuff,” Thom advised from somewhere in the melee.

“I can see the fascination,” Dorian commented from the back, “In my experience, the Qunari are proportional.”

“Too much information!” Varric yelled, “I suggest you shut up before they get even angrier.”

“Lighten up, Varric. A race that prefers not to wear a shirt even when fighting is begging to be looked at and commented on,” Ellana said, “Just look at those abs!”

“You’re enjoying this too much,” Thom stated, “Are you turning into one of those creeps that gets turned on by fighting?”

“No. I think I am still working on my Fen’Harel-freeing-the-slaves –lady-boner,” Ellana replied.

“You do realize that you are lusting after a legend? Who was thought to be a god?” Dorian asked.

“Yes, so?”

“Nothing, just checking.”

It took them some time to clear the room of all hostiles.

“It seems that the Qunari have declared the Inquisition their enemies,” Thom said, “They wouldn’t have attacked us otherwise. The Qunari always have orders.”

“If that is true, then this is bad,” Ellana replied, “We already have the council going. I bet they will not be happy when they hear that the Qunari nation wants a war with us.”

They moved further into the building. They found a big room with a statue of Fen’Harel in the middle. The wall had a picture of Fen’Harel removing the vallaslin from an elf. It reminded Ellana of Solas and how he had removed her vallaslin. How had he known…

Ellana thought back. Abelas and the other sentinels had lived for who knows how long. Why could there not be others? Solas… He had always known so much. Too much. He had spoken of his people, who were not the elves of present day. But the orb had belonged to his people… Son of a bitch!

“You fucking asshole, you fucking, stuck up know-it-all, you bloody, holier-than-thou tight-ass! You knew it all, didn’t you! You fucking knew!”

Ellana launched an angry fireball out of the window as she cursed him in every language she knew. Ancient bloody moron, could have told her something, anything, but no!

“Inquisitor?” Varric asked carefully, “What are you talking about?”

“Nothing, never mind,” Ellana replied, “Let’s light that veilfire and move on.”

“If you say so,” Dorian said, though he looked unconvinced.

The statue moved and revealed a passage. They found and killed more Qunari. The Qunari had been confident enough to leave some helpful notes that indicated what they had been doing there.

“Let me get this straight,” Varric said, “The Qunari were here to infiltrate the Winter Palace to do something sinister.”

“Yes, but their nefarious plan was stopped by an unknown intruder,” Dorian said, “It sounds like we owe the intruder a thank you.”

“I cannot wait to hear, what the others are going to say about all this,” Ellana said.

“Let’s go find out,” Thom suggested.

\--

The advisers panicked. Ellana had no idea, what they had been expecting, but this was not it. They discussed whether or not they should let people know about all this. The vote was that they should still get more information before revealing, what had been going on. The meeting dispersed for the night and they went their separate ways.

“Inquisitor, might I have a word?”

Ellana stopped and turned to meet Dario.

“Of course, how may I help you?”

“Are you all right? You seem troubled.”

“Well, finding a secret plot by a foreign nation can do that to you,” she replied.

“Yes, but this is more than that. This seems personal.”

Ellana looked at the spymaster closely. She probably should not be surprised at his perceptiveness. Information was his job, after all. She did not know, what to tell him.

“I found out some things today,” she said, “I… Would rather not talk about it, actually.”

“I understand. You want to think things through on your own,” he said, “Or numb the pain, maybe?”

“Something like that,” she replied.

“If you need a release, you know, where my room is,” he said and left.

Ellana just stared after the other elf’s receding back. How had she not noticed before that he was interested in her? Or maybe he offered only casual sex to help her forget. Should she take him up on it? He was admittedly very attractive. The dark hair, the blue eyes, the strong features… Not to mention the body. Oh, the body… He was not a bad person, far from it. He was willing to help and he cared about others. If she shagged him, could he think about something besides doom and destruction for a few moments? Would it be possible? There was a first time for everything, after all.

Ellana considered going to the bar but decided against it. She was not in the mood for social drinking. That would involve a lot of talking and she did not feel equipped to do that. If she went to the bar, she would end up completely faced under the table, moaning that there was no god; not a good one, anyway. That was not something the Inquisitor should do. She might not be the Inquisitor for long, but that night she still was.

Ellana shook her head and made her way to her room. Fen’Harel was there waiting for her. Cullen had been looking after him for the day. Or maybe it was the other way around because Cullen had been really sleepy. A huge wolf next to a sleeping man made it damn sure that nobody robbed him.

“Hello, there, my little boy,” she said and sat on her bed to pet the wolf. “I have had one rough day today.”

Fen’Harel seemed to sense his mistress’ state of mind. He licked her hand and stared at her with those big, brown eyes. A lonely tear slid down Ellana’s cheek. Usually, she would have been mad at herself for being such a crybaby but she was too exhausted to care. She performed her evening routine in a haze and went to bed. She pulled her legs against her body, forming a tight little ball. She was beginning to see, why Sera was afraid of the nothing. She fell asleep expecting nightmares.

\--

Solas was happy that he loathed himself so much. He was aware that to be a strange thing to be happy about, but it did not change the fact. If he had not been so full of self-loathing, he would have felt worse about keeping an eye on Ellana. As things stood, he only had to acknowledge that it was wrong, but nothing more, since he was maxed out on self-loathing.

He had left the Qunari behind so that he had been able to follow as the events unfolded. His long-term plan did not suffer from saving the world from being thrust into chaos by the Qunari. If they had succeeded, they would have killed not only every notable leader in the south of Thedas, but also the Inquisitor. That was unacceptable. He had been forced to intervene.

Solas looked at the tiny ball of elf, huddled in her bed. She looked more forlorn than he had ever seen her. Come to think of it, he had never before seen her forlorn. Solas would have given an arm and a leg to be able to walk to her bed and take her into his arms, but that was not to be. It was true that it would have been easy enough to get to the Winter Palace but it was unlikely that she would have allowed him to hold her. She had cursed him thoroughly just a few hours earlier.

Solas did not remember ever having had such mood swings as during that day, when he had followed the journey of the Inquisitor and her friends. She had learned so much of the things he had wanted to tell her, but had been too afraid to try. Her faith in what she had worshipped as gods had shattered in mere moments. It was good that she knew the truth, though Solas had not enjoyed watching her agony and sense of loss and betrayal. It was lucky that she had had Dorian to comfort her, even if Solas would have wanted to do it himself.

The way she had raved about Fen’Harel… It had given Solas foolish hope. He told himself that he was naïve to think for a moment that she could lo- - Forgive him. Yes, she had said long ago that people should be given second chances. And she had lived by that ideal for as long as he had known her. But could she really forgive him, the Dread Wolf? Her people used him as a curse. Not only her people; he remembered her using that curse. But she had named her wolf after him. Clearly, she was not as severe in her judgment of him as her people were. If you could call them her people, the way they had treated her. The reminded him that he should pay clan Lavellan a visit one of these days…

A distressed sound made Solas refocus on the sleeping woman. She hugged herself more tightly and let out a small wail. Her dreams were clearly not giving her the rest she needed after such a day as this. Solas ended the connection, went to his bed, and entered the Fade. He would guard her dreams and keep the nightmares at bay. That much he could do.


	3. Some Things to Think about

”Keep him busy for a while. Distract him,” Krem had said.

Ellana had promised to help, but when she sat next to Bull at the bar, she realized how difficult the job would be. Bull had been Ben-Hassrath, for crying out loud! How would she keep him from noticing something as hulking as a dragon skull? The job would require drastic measures, if it could even be done.

“So, Bull,” she began, “You are a man with extensive experience. What is your favorite position?”

“Alright, Boss, I’ll play,” he said and grinned at her, “I’d have to say… Doggy style. Though, if you ask me, why settle for one when you can have many? That goes for lovers, as well.”

“At the same time, or…?”

“That’s not what I meant, but why the hell not,” Bull replied, “Can you honestly tell me that you don’t like the idea of having two hot elves in your bed at the same time?”

Ellana paused to think about it for a second. Solas and Dario in her bed, naked. Kissing her, pressing her between their sweaty bodies. Exploring hands and eager mouths everywhere. Two hard cocks rubbing against her… She swallowed.

“I can see the appeal,” Ellana said with a voice that sounded hoarse even in her own ears.

“I can see that you do,” Bull said and nudged her, “If you ever decide to try it, don’t forget to include me.”

“I have no idea how we landed here,” Ellana said and shook her head, “I may have forgotten, what I intended to say in the first place.”

“You were supposed to distract me, while they move that thing,” Bull said, “And you did, masterfully. I liked to see pure lust in your eyes, Boss. You have been so sad all morning that it was a welcome change.”

Ellana had to smile at him. Man, her friends were weird, but they did truly love her. She was lucky.

“Thanks, Bull, really.”

“No problem. How about a birthday kiss?”

“That is the least I can do since I failed as the distraction.”

She gave him a proper kiss that got a cheer from the Chargers. They presented Bull with their gift and enjoyed his booming thanks. Ellana decided that it would be unfair to ask Bull to kill his kinsmen on his birthday, so she went to look for Thom to take to the Crossroads. It was time to go back and see, what the Qunari were up to.

\--

“How did he do that?” Sera asked, “Did you see, how freaking huge he was? They’re not supposed to be able to do that!”

“I know, what you mean,” Ellana said, “It must take a great deal of strength to do a leap like that. With such a big weapon, too. His precision was admirable. He would have landed right on top of you, if you had not moved.”

“That’s just wrong! Huge-ass Qunari warriors aren’t supposed to be able to do shit like that,” Sera grumbled.

“I know I’m not,” Thom replied.

“He’d trained a lot,” Cole said, “It was his duty.”

“Much good it did him, jumping like a giant frog,” Sera said.

Sera continued her grumbling, but Ellana focused on the road ahead. Never would she have guessed to find herself fighting Qunari in the Deep Roads. After having arrived through an Eluvian, no less. None of it made any bloody sense.

Ellana made a face as the anchor ached again. Yes, the light trick was useful but she had a bad feeling about the increasing pain in her hand. The anchor had not taken well to travel through Eluvians. Maybe it was the elven magic, maybe the hopping between realities, but the mark was almost as bad as it had been in the beginning. If it got worse… It would probably kill her. Preferably, after she had solved this mess.

They stumbled upon a lone human, who shed more light on the situation. The Viddasala, the leader of the Qunari, had been told to put an end to magic but she had done the opposite. She was mining lyrium in the Deep Roads and giving it to Saarebas to boost their abilities. Her plan involved something called the Dragon’s Breath, though its exact nature remained unclear.

The man, former templar, mentioned something about Fen’Harel’s agents making trouble for the Viddasala. She had assumed that the Inquisition was his army. Ellana thought darkly of Solas. Could he be one of those agents? He was somehow related to Fen’Harel, of that much she was certain. If his identity was known to the Viddasala, that would explain why she thought that the Inquisition worked for the Dread Wolf. If Ellana ever saw Solas again, she would have some serious questions for him, “Could you introduce me to your boss?” being one of them.

“We get to blow this place up?” Sera asked, “What are we waiting for? Let’s do it!”

It was easier said than done. The mine was littered with Qunari, who were not content to sit on their hands and wait to be blown to bits. They wanted to stop that from happening, for some reason. Ellana and her friends had to fight their way through the dark mine.

“Why is it so dark in here?” Thom asked, “Do the Qunari have better vision or something?”

“I have no idea,” Ellana said, “Maybe they are all Ben-Hassrath. No better vision, but crazy perceptive.”

Right at that moment, a voice whispered next to Ellana’s ear: “There’s so much you don’t see, Inquisitor.”

If Ellana’s barrier had not been up, she would have been dead after the first slash. The Qunari assassins were stealthy and damn effective. Dario had been right about them. Ellana considered it a wee brazen to gloat like that, when you were not absolutely sure of the kill. If you were the type to gloat, you should do it after the deed if you wanted to succeed. Otherwise, it could kill you. They should teach that in assassin school.

The heart of the mine was inhabited by a giant of a Saarebas. He had to be one of the ones the Viddasala had been fueling.

“That is one fucking annoying trick,” Ellana said when she was scrambling back onto feet. The mage had launched into the air and fallen straight on her, fists first.

“Then kill him before he does it again!” Sera yelled.

“That is good advice,” Cole said.

The mage was relentless. He could definitely take a hit and give one back twofold. After they had finally managed to kill him, Ellana went closer to look at the body. The lyrium had given him power, certainly, but it had not come without a cost.

“Your body on lyrium,” she said out loud.

“What?”

“Nothing, just thinking aloud,” Ellana said, “Let’s blow this loony bin up.”

\--

“The Inquisition is in war with the Qunari and you chose not to tell us?” Arl Teagan yelled, “This is exactly why the whole institution should be disbanded! You make messes and get enemies where none should be found!”

The Viddasala’s activities had been so troubling that the advisers had agreed to share the news with the council which had caused the council to go ballistic. Ellana was working hard not to lose her cool, when the diplomats threw their hissy fits. She almost kissed the guard, who announced that an important matter required her attention immediately.

One of the Inquisition soldiers had noticed that a servant had been behaving suspiciously. Further examination into the matter revealed that he had been trying to move barrels of gaatlok around the castle. Leliana pulled Ellana aside to discuss the situation.

“I think that this is the meaning of the Dragon’s Breath, a thing that kills instantly, leaving behind nothing but destruction,” the divine said, “Having similar barrels blow up in Denerim and Val Royeaux would destroy every notable leader of the south, us included. The south would be crippled, ready for the taking. This is what Corypheus should have done after the Conclave.”

“They really are serious,” Ellana said, “This could have ended badly if that body had not been found. But why? And why now?”

“The council is the only reason that makes any sense. We have gathered together, which makes us easy targets.”

“It still does not answer the why. Why do this at all?” Ellana pondered, “That former templar we met said that the Viddasala hates magic and means to destroy it. How is that achieved by conquering the south?”

“The way it’s achieved within the Qun,” Leliana said, “Find the mages, gather them together, and either collar them or kill them.”

Ellana sighed heavily. She was getting so tired with all the bullshit people threw at mages.

“Why are people so afraid of magic, Leliana? What is so evil and reprehensible about it that anyone born with it is showed such scorn? I have never used magic to hurt anyone, who was not trying to kill me or one of my friends.”

“As much as people crave power, they are afraid of it. They don’t know the limits of magic, which scares them. They are afraid of the unknown,” Leliana said, “And a little jealous, I should think. It’s nice to be special, yes?”

“I have a lifetime’s worth of experience that says otherwise,” Ellana huffed, “I feel like having a quiet word with the Viddasala tomorrow. It was very kind of her to invite us.”

“Yes, it was.”

Ellana bid Leliana goodbye and went to change her clothes for the evening. Josephine was taking her to the opera. Ellana had only the vaguest idea of what that meant, but Josephine had been so eager to civilize her that she had promised to go.

\--

Ellana arrived a little early to meet Josephine. She was standing at the end of the staircase with Dario.

“There you are, Inquisitor,” Josephine said when she spotted Ellana, “When Dario heard of our plans, he asked if he could come along.”

Ellana smiled at him.

“The more the merrier,” she replied, “Is someone else coming?”

“Thom should be here any minute,” Josephine answered.

“I had no idea that you were a fan of the opera, Dario,” Ellana said.

“The dark atmosphere and the mirthless plots speak to my soul,” Dario replied, “And I like the drama. No matter is too small to sing about. No reaction is overdoing it. How about you, Inquisitor?”

“Can I tell you a secret?”

“Anything,” Dario said with a voice full of meaning.

“I have never been to the opera,” Ellana admitted, “I have only heard scant descriptions that have given me a rather interesting mental image of the whole affair. I must admit that I am curious.”

Dario made a pleased little laugh. Ellana had never heard such a sound come from him. She found that she liked it.

“You are either going to love it or hate it,” he said, “Opera is like that. There is no middle ground. I bet you that you’ll love it.”

“You bet me? That is interesting,” Ellana said and gave it some thought, “If I hate it, then you are going to have to acquire a cheery motto. I will choose it, you will memorize it, and you will try to live by it or a terrible fate will befall you.”

“Terrible fate will befall everyone eventually,” Dario pointed out, “But I consent to your terms. If I win, however…”

“Yes?”

“I want a kiss. And whatever it may lead to.”

Ellana looked hastily around to make sure that no one else had heard him. Josephine was luckily chatting with Thom, who had just arrived. The carriage was pulling in front of the gate.

“What do you say, Inquisitor? Do we have a deal?”

What the hell, Ellana thought. She had kissed Bull that morning. She could kiss Dario, too. It was not a big deal. And it would be oh, so good, if she won.

“Yes, ser spymaster, we have a deal.”

\--

“Are you actually… Crying?”

“No, I most definitely am not,” Ellana said and tried to hastily wipe the tears away.

“Then why are your cheeks wet?” Dario asked and swiped her right cheek with his thumb. 

“Fine, I might be crying just a little bit,” Ellana admitted, “It is just so… Sad.”

“And beautiful?”

“And beautiful, yes,” she replied, “They are all going to die in the end, are they not?”

“Everyone dies in the end. It is a fact of nature, our shared destiny, if one wants to use such words.”

“If you knew how to compose, you could make operas,” Ellana said, “Damn, you could join forces with Varric and make one about my life. That would make his book sales shoot through the roof.”

Even though she was not looking at him, Ellana could tell that Dario was watching her. He took hold of her hand and squeezed it lightly.

“You could still have a happy life, Inquisitor,” he said, “Even when it is destined to end in death.”

“Would that not disqualify it from being beautiful?”

“Happiness is the most beautiful thing in the world.”

Ellana smiled in the darkness.

“That was a very uncharacteristic thing to say, Dario,” she pointed out.

“It does not make it less true,” he said, obviously determined not to be provoked.

They watched the rest of the opera in silence. Everyone did die in the end.

\--

The carriage ride had been full of lively discussion. Thom had not been impressed with the opera; Josephine had loved it and was very happy to hear that the elves had, as well. When they arrived at the Winter Palace, Josephine and Thom bid the elves good night and hurried inside, for it was getting colder. Ellana and Dario walked slowly after them.

“How do you feel about tomorrow and facing the Viddasala?” Dario asked.

“I want to stop her,” Ellana said, “And to find out, why she did what she did. Why she hates magic so much. Or is it simply another example to prove that people just hate mages, no reason required.”

Dario took hold of her hand to make her stop and face him.

“I don’t hate you,” he said and looked her into the eye.

Then he kissed her. It became obvious that he was a master in that art. He began gently, warming her up. After she made a mewling sound, he deepened the kiss. When his tongue touched her lips, Ellana opened her mouth and met his tongue with hers. The evening did not feel cool anymore. Ellana found herself being pulled closer to Dario’s lean body. It felt nice and warm.

When they finally pulled apart, they had to catch their breaths.

“And with that, I wish you a good night, Inquisitor,” Dario said, “If bad dreams should trouble you, you know, where to find me.”

“Good night,” Ellana replied.

Dario left, but Ellana felt like she needed a bit of air. She took a round in the garden and checked, if there was as much to loot as there had been the previous time. She did find some purses, but not as heavy as the ones she had found before.

Ellana looked at the full moon. It would be wonderful to be in love and wander in this garden, staring at the starlit sky and exchanging kisses in the darkness. Maybe have a shag against the wall. She could have done all that with Dario. But did she want to?

Ellana sighed and went inside. She had more important things to think about than this.

\--

In his lair, the Dread Wolf decided that he did not care for the opera at all. Or for birthdays, for that matter.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading and the feedback!


	4. Moments of Compassion

”Inquisitor, are you with us?”

Ellana had to mentally slap herself.

“Yes, I am. Sorry, I did not sleep that well last night.”

“Had some nice dreams about threesomes, did you?” Bull asked.

Ellana swore that he would never find out how right he had been. She refocused on the present. It was much more important to bring the Viddasala down than to dwell on her dream, no matter how nice it had been.

“That has to be the Eluvian we are looking for,” Ellana said and headed towards the only magical doorway with a bookshelf next to it.

They stepped through and found an ancient elven library. Ellana could not resist the urge to run her fingers on the books. The history, the information one could learn here… It would definitely be more accurate than the fairytales the keeper had taught her. She would love to spend hour upon hour here, just reading and studying…

“You coming, Boss?” Bull yelled.

“Almost,” Ellana replied, “Look at all these tomes! It is magnificent!”

“Does everyone else see a butt-load of moldy books?” Varric asked.

“Yes,” Bull and Vivienne replied.

“Just checking,” Varric said, “Come on, Inquisitor, we have Qunari to kill. You can revisit this spooky library some other time.”

Ellana agreed to advance, though reluctantly. They did not get far before running into a spirit of learning, the Archivist. It told of the place it resided in and how it had become forgotten. There had been a fracture, a fall, that had broken, what used to be the living knowledge of the empire. The fracture happened when the difference came to be between the waking world and the Fade.

“This place once housed all the knowledge of the elven empire?” Ellana asked.

“Yes. After the rupture, much was lost. Things became forgotten. There was no more language to speak them,” the spirit replied.

The spirit shared a memory about the fall. It made Ellana sad. They asked it about the Viddasala and her plans. It showed them, where to go. Ellana was dying to find out more about the elven empire and what had happened with the Fade, but she knew that stopping the Viddasala had to take priority.

“I take it that we need to get there,” Varric said and pointed ahead at an upside-down island that had a fight going on it, “I’d almost forgotten how much I hate the Fade. It plays merry hell with how things should be.”

“The laws of the Fade are different from those of the waking world, my dear,” Vivienne said.

“It may not always have been the case,” Ellana said, “I wonder, what the world was like, before those two were separated.”

“I’ll tell you, Boss: things were messed up,” Bull replied, “Just like the Fade is. How do we get there?”

“It must be a puzzle,” Ellana said, “They love those in the Fade…”

It was, indeed, a puzzle. They had to jump through several Eluvians that led to different parts of the same area and activate the apparatus that were used to move the pieces of the bridge around. It was a painful experience to Ellana because the anchor ached worse after every Eluvian.

“This is really getting to me,” Ellana said, “I see that Eluvians could be useful, but what is with the ridiculously small islands that have nothing on them? It makes no fucking sense! Even if you wanted to march big armies fast from place to place, it would still be idiotic. One giant moron could kill an army of men if he stood in front of the receiving Eluvian and killed the soldiers as they stepped through the portal in single file. Had I not already been doubting the intelligence of my forbears, this would have been the breaking point.”

“I’m with you, Inquisitor,” Varric agreed, “I think I’ve seen enough Eluvians to last a lifetime.”

“You have to admit that there is certain elegance to them,” Vivienne said, “Traveling is effortless and swiftly achieved.”

“Easy for you to say,” Bull replied, “You don’t have to step into one sideways.”

Ellana laughed and went through another one. The laugh died on her lips when she was attacked by fear demons.

“Trouble ahead,” she yelled, though she had a feeling that sound did not travel through Eluvians. Varric would have a surprise waiting for him. He was not two steps into the room when one of the demons was in his face and screamed. He was so startled that he fell on his ass.

“What’s happening?”

“The librarians are angry with us for some reason,” Ellana replied, “Did someone miss a due date? Bring a snack? Doodle something dirty in a book?”

“These are not librarians,” Bull stated, “Librarians are sexy, repressed-looking redheads with glasses, conservative blouses, and short skirts.”

“I have visited many libraries but I have never seen such a librarian,” Vivienne replied.

“Neither have I,” Ellana said.

“You’re no fun.”

It turned out that the Viddasala was the one, who was no fun. When they reached her, she talked big but escaped as soon as she was done monologueing. They had to fight their way through a horde of Qunari to follow her, but she was already gone. The Archivist told them how to find her, though.

“That was a whole lot of information,” Ellana said, “I think we should go tell the others before we go after the Viddasala.”

“Rest would also be nice,” Varric said, “You should probably put some ice on that hand.”

“Thanks, Varric, but I think that it is beyond ice at this point.”

\--

“This might be a stupid question, but why are you lounging on the edge of a fountain in the middle of the night?”

Ellana opened her eyes to find that Dario’s face was right above hers.

“It is more comfortable than it looks.”

“Your hand is still aching that badly, yes?” Dario asked and sat next to her.

“I know, what you are thinking,” Ellana said, “I am thinking it, too. The anchor will kill me. Not some day in the distant future, but soon. Very soon, if the situation deteriorates this rapidly.”

“Going through the Eluvians makes it worse, yes? Have you thought not doing that?”

“And do what? Sit on my ass and wait for everything to fall down around me? Cry about the Inquisition becoming one of the things it was supposed to oppose? Let others fix the problems I helped make? Or better yet, cry about the lost greatness of the elves, all the magic, immortality, and the like. My kith and kin have done that for so long, I might as well join them.”

“Who would want to live forever?” Dario asked, “Wouldn’t it break you to see people make the same mistakes over and over again? It’s breaking you already, and you aren’t even thirty.”

“You may have a point there,” Ellana admitted, “By the way, did you know that the waking world and the Fade were once connected? There was a time when the veil did not exist. Fen’Harel created it. He severed the elven people from their magic.”

“Why did he do that?”

“I think it had something to do with the Evanuris; those pretentious, evil mages I used to worship as gods. Maybe that was how he sealed them away.”

“You’ve learned a lot during the past few days,” Dario said, “What do you think about it all?”

Ellana gave it some thought.

“It is a big mess, but it all keeps coming back to Fen’Harel,” she pondered, “It is a truth universally acknowledged that shit happens. People have been dicks as long as there have been people. It seems to me that the Evanuris were out of control. Someone had to take the lead, so Fen’Harel stepped up. Something had to be done, so he made a choice. His contemporaries judged him for it and history has followed their example. Despite the shitty outcome, I… I believe that he saved a lot of people from a worse fate and no one thanked him for it. The opposite, actually. They hate him and blame him.”

“You think history will judge you as severely, yes?”

“It will not bother me,” Ellana said, “It looks like I will be dead in a matter of days. After that, history can do whatever it chooses to my memory. But I feel sorry for Fen’Harel. I assume that he is still alive somewhere out there. He has had to listen to people curse his name for centuries when all he strived to do was to save them. That really sucks.”

Dario was silent for a long time. Ellana assumed that he was processing all the information. Or maybe he was considering the best way to lock her up in some dungeon for going mad.

“Inquisitor.”

Dario’s tone made Ellana sit up and turn so that she could see him. He had the most peculiar look on his face.

“You found out that a person ruined the culture, status, and power of your people and you feel sorry for him,” he said, “You are extraordinary.”

“Do you not feel sorry for him, then?” Ellana asked.

“I don’t care about him,” Dario said and pulled her into a kiss.

The kiss was just deepening when there was a noise. It sounded like someone was trying to imitate the clearing of a throat. Ellana let go of Dario and looked around. Her gaze landed on Cole.

“Hello, Cole. Can I help you?”

“No,” he said.

Ellana made a motion with her hand for him to carry on. He did not.

“Is there a particular reason why you chose to join us now?”

“Yes,” he said.

No further explanation followed.

“Would you care to share that reason with us?” Ellana asked.

“No,” he said, “Can I stay here?”

Dario sighed with more than a hint of frustration in his voice. Ellana could understand. It was not often that you got cock-blocked by a spirit of compassion. He got up, bid them good night, and left.

“You don’t want to follow him,” Cole said, “He’s nice, but he isn’t right.”

“I know,” Ellana admitted, “But it would have been fun to smooch a little longer. Damn, that man can kiss like a champion and it has been too long. Besides, I am sure that I am about to die. At this point, a good fuck is an achievable goal, whereas finding the right man is not.”

“You’ll be wrong.”

“About what?”

“Many things.”

“Thanks, Cole, that helps a lot. You should tell fortunes at a carnival,” Ellana said, “You know, I do not think it to be very compassionate to leave a guy with blue balls. I hear that it can be painful.”

“He’s already taking care of it, thinking about you.”

Ellana slapped her hand to her face.

“Cole, remember when we talked about oversharing?”

“It’s bad?”

“Yes,” Ellana said patiently, “People do not want others to know their most intimate thoughts. Especially those concerning sex.”

“But you and Solas told each other thoughts like that all the time,” he said, “Why would it be a secret to you if he is thinking about you?”

“Solas and I were together, whereas Dario and I are not,” Ellana said, “Do you understand the difference?”

“I think so,” Cole said, “Does that mean that you don’t want me to tell him about…?”

“Yes! It most definitely does!”

\--

Solas sat down. His heart was pounding. He was exhilarated and a little smug. Compassion was a good friend to have on your side in the time of need, even if that need was to keep two people from having sex. He was lucky that the spirit liked him.

Solas rubbed his temples. Now that it was no longer necessary to watch Ellana kiss another man, he resumed worrying for her. Her hand was getting worse much quicker than he had anticipated. It pained him to see her suffering and know that he was ultimately responsible. It was his focus that had caused it, his magic that was killing her. He had to make a contingency plan in case her hand got too bad too soon. How he would go about explaining everything to her, he had no idea.

As much as the buffoon of an assassin grated on his nerves, Solas agreed with him. Ellana was extraordinary, though Solas felt that she was being too kind on him in her assessment of his deeds. That was not a first. He had always felt that she was too kind. She believed in people, no matter how many times she had been let down.

It seemed that Ellana felt a sort of kinship with Fen’Harel. She felt sorry for him and wanted to thank him. Solas had to wonder, whether or not she would feel that when she found out the truth. When she found out that her new hero was actually the man, who had broken her heart. It was not conceited to say that – Solas knew that he had broken her heart. He knew that she had loved him. The question was: could she still love him?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A giant moron killing an army in a narrow lane is from the legend of Sven Dufva.
> 
> "It is a truth universally acknowledged" is - as you probably know - Jane Austen's (the opening line of Pride and Prejudice)
> 
> I have read several Solas fics and it has bothered me that people use "foci" as a singular (sg focus, pl foci). My Latin is sad and thematically restricted to my own field, but even I know that.
> 
> Thanks for reading, comments, and kudos! They really cheer me up :)


	5. In Pain

Ellana woke up, screaming. The pain in her hand was worse than it had ever been. She tried to heal it, but the spell had no effect. She bit her lip, put on her armor, and went to the apothecary. She mixed a potion that should at least numb the pain a little. She downed it in one gulp and took deep breaths. Her habitual grin was a lot harder to pull off with the constant, nagging ache.

The breakfast was a quiet affair. People were apprehensive of what might happen. No one wanted to hear that a group of horned giants had tried to blow up every notable leader in the southern Thedas. No one wanted to think about war, especially so soon after the end of the world had been averted.

Ellana collected Thom, Sera, and Dorian before heading towards the Crossroads. There was a particular Eluvian that would take them where they needed to go. They used the keystone to activate it and stepped through.

“This looks like a graveyard for Eluvians,” Dorian said.

Ellana looked around the fortress and nodded.

“Either that or someone, who had a lot of mirrors, just hated what they looked like in the morning,” she said, “I can relate.”

“Yeah, you look like crap,” Sera stated.

“Thanks, Sera,” Ellana said, “Those Qunari seem to agree with you. They find me so horrific that they look ready to dispatch me from the ranks of the living.”

“Are you all right, my friend?” Dorian asked while casting at the Qunari, “You do seem a little off. Is your hand troubling you?”

“At least I can redistribute that trouble,” Ellana said and cast the charge that had been building up in her hand. That took care of the Qunari.

“Look at this door,” Thom called from ahead, “I’ve never seen anything like it. It has a strange mechanism.”

The others followed to take a look at what the Qunari had come up with.

“Why do people bother with stuff like this?” Ellana asked in frustration, “What’s wrong with having a regular key? Or keys, if you feel that one is not enough. You could just throw away the key and the door would stay locked. This can be opened by anyone, who takes two minutes to study it.”

“When I meet locks like this, I feel like someone is trying to teach me something,” Thom said.

“Damn those overlords for such high-minded ideas!” Ellana replied.

“I know, right?” Sera said, “I can kill people. What else do I need to know?”

“Well,” Dorian began as they advanced into the fortress, “Societies tend to have some sort of rules on who it is that you can kill and why.”

“I kill bad people,” Sera replied and shot an attacker into the eye, “Like these horny bastards, who are trying to kill us. Easy.”

“How do you know that they are bad?” Dorian asked.

“Bad people do bad stuff, good people don’t.”

“What is ‘bad stuff’?”

“You know,” Sera said, “Hurting the weak. Not caring about others. That kind of thing.”

“They have a massive operation here,” Thom said when the Qunari were dead. “I wonder, what they were doing.”

“That room looks like it could contain some answers,” Ellana said.

They went through the room and looked at the notes enough to decipher, what was going on.

“Wow. If they could make all the Eluvians work with this information, they would control the world,” Ellana said, “Just like the elves used to. The Eluvians are everywhere and they connect. I can see why they have put so much time and effort into this.”

“I know this was clear before, but it bears repeating: we need to stop them,” Thom said.

They hastened forward. A mighty roar shook the castle. After another door, they found out from whence it had originated.

“Oh, goody, they have a dragon,” Ellana said, “Do you remember the days when we did not need to fight dragons to get to the bad guys? There must have been some, I am sure.”

“No biggie, we can take it down,” Sera said.

“I have no doubt about that,” Ellana replied, “Though now we have the added difficulty of dodging the Qunari, who are trying to kill us, while we try to kill the dragon, who is trying to kill us.”

“Bull would love this,” Dorian said.

“You ain’t kidding,” Thom agreed.

The fight was trickier than most. In addition to the watching out for dragon and the Qunari, they had to look carefully, where to plant their feet. The dragon was housed on heated tiles that could burn your feet fast. Especially, if you were an elf, who had opted not to wear shoes. Ellana made one false step and learned quickly to keep her distance to the center of the room.

After the Qunari were dead, the dragon still remained barely alive. Ellana walked closer and looked it into the eye. It was in pain.

“Should we let it go?” Dorian asked.

“That would be unkind,” Ellana said, “It has been tortured and almost killed. It will not recover and it cannot survive. If we released it, it could kill innocent people before meeting its end.”

Ellana walked closer to the beast. She kneeled in front of it and put her hand on its muzzle.

“Dareth din'anshiral, emma nadas ghilan,” she whispered and cast the final spell.

Ellana got up and they went after the Viddasala. She had a lot of hate for Solas, who she affirmed to be an agent of Fen’Harel’s. According to her, he had caused all this. He had pushed the dying Qunari into the Winter Palace to warn the Inquisition about the Viddasala’s plans. She swore that she was going to kill him.

“Over my dead body!” Ellana yelled, but the Viddasala slipped away again, leaving her henchmen to slow Ellana and the others down.

“Do you believe her?” Dorian asked when they had killed the Qunari and were stepping into another Eluvian.

“It can’t be true, right?” Sera asked, “Except it kind of makes sense…”

“I do believe her,” Ellana said, “About all of it. To be honest, I have thought for some time now that Solas works for Fen’Harel. I also believe that he saved our lives and those of some very important people. And I believe that he saved us from being overtaken by the Qunari. I will not let them kill him.”

What followed was a seemingly endless line of Eluvians, new sceneries, and fights. Every transition made Ellana’s hand hurt worse and worse. It started to go off spontaneously if it was not used often enough. Ellana saw the worried looks the others gave her after a powerful charge threw her off her feet.

“Not to worry, I will survive,” Ellana said as she got up, “Oops, that was a lie; I will not survive. But I will endure to the end out of the sheer will of making sure that the Viddasala keeps her fucking hands off my ex. You will be alright if you keep your distance to me.”

“But…” Thom began.

“Look at it this way,” Ellana said, “Because of the anchor problem, we no longer have a Qunari problem.”

“You can try telling that to the biggest freaking Qunari I’ve ever seen,” Sera said, “Shit, just look at her!”

In the end, they had to fight the big Qunari twice because, apparently, once was not enough. The second time around, she brought buddies. There were all sorts of demons and whatnot floating about. It was a free-for-all out of templar’s nightmares.

The battles of the day had made Ellana embrace a ‘what the hell’ sort of approach to the fighting. Whenever there were enemies, she cast a barrier, fadestepped into the throng, and cast her anchor blast. It was almost too easy. Enemies fell before her. The Viddasala was the only one to slip through the Eluvian. Ellana went after her.

\--

Ellana heard arguing and hastened to find, where the voices were coming from. She was barely in time to see Solas apparently turn the Viddasala into stone. She had no time to ponder on that before there was a blinding pain in her hand. She fell to her knees, clutching at the anchor with her eyes closed. Her time was coming.

She heard quick footsteps. Solas grabbed her hand and, suddenly, the pain was gone. Ellana opened her eyes in wonder and looked at Solas, who was just getting up. Damn, he could pull those golden tights off. Abelas had nothing on him. And that strategically placed piece of fur? Nice touch.

“You must have a lot of questions,” he said.

“You could say that,” Ellana said and got up, “At first, I would like to know, who I am addressing.”

Solas looked her straight in the eye.

“I am Fen’Harel.”

“Oh. That was not I was expecting to hear,” Ellana said and pondered it for a time, “I… It is a pleasure to meet you, Fen’Harel. I am a big fan.”

Solas snorted.

“You are mocking me, Inquisitor,” he said, “I know, what your people teach about me. Is it not an old curse to say, ‘May the Dread Wolf take you’?”

“But are you not also Solas? The same mage, who walked with the Inquisition? Who became my friend and, in time, my lover? Is that not you?”

“Yes, of course.”

“Then you know, what I think about the Dalish. They are my people as little as the present elves are yours. Your people are gone and, with them, your reputation. You saved the world from those I used to call gods, and the history hated you for it. I am sorry for you.”

“Your pity arises from fragments of information,” he replied, “There is much more to the story.”

“There always is, Solas. Or do you prefer Fen’Harel?”

He shook his head a little.

“Solas was before Fen’Harel. I assumed the name because it brought courage to my allies and annoyed my enemies.”

Ellana grinned at him. That sounded about right.

“Why are you smiling at me?”

“Because I like you, you idiot. That is why I fucked you.”

“I thought you were drawn to my fatalistic tendencies and marvelous ass,” Solas said with a little twitch at the corner of his mouth.

“Among your other admirable qualities, yes,” Ellana replied, “So, care to tell me, what happened? All of it.”

Ellana listened and made a few questions as Solas gave her the rundown of his history. He told about the Evanuris and their characters and crimes. He told of the murder of Mythal. He told, what he had done to put an end to it. He explained how Corypheus had gotten his orb and why.

“Solas, I have to ask: why did you not tell me? Did I not have your trust?”

“I thought about it often,” he said, “I battled myself, went back and forth. Cole told me that you would understand, but, in the end, I decided against it. I did not want to give you the same burden I have had to carry all this time. You had your own troubles.”

Ellana took a step forward and took his hand into hers.

“I can see that you are not aware of this, or maybe you have forgotten, I do not know,” she said, “But couples are supposed to share their troubles. It would have made the burden less if we had carried it together.”

“That was too much to ask,” he said.

They stood still, staring at their joined hands. Ellana thought back. There was one thing that had been bugging her, one question she needed the answer to.

“Why did you kill those people? Of the Righteous Fist of Justice?”

Solas raised his gaze. There was anger in his eyes.

“They hurt you. They deserved, what they got.”

“Why would it matter to you that they hurt me?” Ellana asked, “You were the one, who broke up with me. You were the one, who stopped caring. Who fell out of love.”

“Vhenan…” Solas said, like he had so many times in her dreams.

Then he pulled her to him and kissed her for all he was worth. His tongue was in Ellana’s mouth before she knew it. He was hungry and eager. Ellana had missed him to no end. Had missed being held by him. The feeling of his body, his scent, his taste. Everything about him. He had been the leading man in her lusty dreams for so long that she could hardly believe that this was happening.

“I have missed you so much, Solas,” she whispered when he pulled away.

“You have no idea,” he replied.

Ellana thought that he would kiss her again, but she was wrong. He stepped away. His face reflected the most profound sadness Ellana had ever seen before a mask of neutrality fell over his features.

“Solas?”

Then he told of his plans to undo, what he had done so long ago. To take down the veil that separated the two worlds. He wanted to fix the downtrodden state of the elves. He wanted to see their past glory restored at the cost of chaos.

“You have no idea, what it felt like,” he said, “To wake up after millennia to find out the world so altered. The people in it are like tranquil to me.”

“Is that how you see me?”

“No, vhenan,” he hastened to reply, “You are different. You are no tranquil. You keep surprising me.”

“I do not understand, Solas. You had your reasons when you created the veil. You said that there was no choice. What has changed since then? Why would you be willing to destroy so much at such a cost?”

“The cost was too dear. Too much has been lost. I cannot stand it any longer. It has to be done.”

Ellana looked at him closely. He was hurting. And he was carrying the pain alone. No one should be forced to do that.

“Take me with you,” she said.

Solas shook his head.

“No, vhenan, I cannot,” he said, “You have your Inquisition. You have your friends. This is my responsibility.”

“The Inquisition is done for,” Ellana replied, “There is no need for it anymore. My friends can take care of themselves. No one needs me, but you.”

Before Solas had a chance to reply, the anchor ached again with pain so intense that Ellana fell down with a cry. Solas was at her side in an instant. He took hold of her anchored hand.

“The anchor will kill you, vhenan,” he said, “I am sorry. I cannot take you with me, but I can help you.”

Solas kissed her. At the same time, he cast a spell that shimmered around her left hand. When they parted, part of her hand was gone with the anchor. Ellana stared at the space, where her hand used to be. She looked at Solas, who was hurrying towards an Eluvian.

“I will never forget you, vhenan,” he said and vanished. The Eluvian deactivated after him.

Ellana stared at the portal. The love of her life had left her behind. Again. And he was not coming back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> “Dareth din'anshiral, emma nadas ghilan.” According to the Dragon Age wiki, that should translate about "Safe journey of death, my inevitable guide." The idea is that Ellana is sure that she'll be following the dragon into death in no time at all.
> 
> Sorry, this chapter is pretty dark, but I can't see another way of writing it. The ending of the Trespasser is dark. I hate what they did to Solas in that and I'll be really pissed when they turn him into the archenemy of DA4 as they clearly intend to. In fact, I hated the ending so much that it took me weeks after finishing the DLC to start writing this because I couldn't think about it without getting angry.
> 
> I still have one more chapter to write, even though the canon story ends about here.
> 
> Thanks for reading, comments, and kudos!


	6. Loving Mr Slow-on-The-Uptake

Ellana pulled at the reins of her horse to make him stop at the top of the hill. She looked around and took a map from her pocket, opened it, and studied it for a while. According to the map, she was right where she was supposed to be. Her destination was not far. She put the map back and gave the horse a light squeeze with her calves to continue their journey.

Fen’Harel ran ahead of them, zigzagging from one bush to another. He was overjoyed to be out in the forest, where he could run freely. Ellana observed his joy. It was good that someone, at least, was happy, she thought.

The past three months had had too little happiness. As soon as Ellana had stepped a foot into the Winter Palace, she had gone ahead and disbanded the Inquisition on the grounds that it had served its purpose. If it was needed again in the future, it would be re-established. When the deed had been done, she had taken her advisors aside and told them about Solas and his plans. They had been less than pleased.

“What will we do now, Inquisitor?” Cullen had asked.

“You will do, what you can,” she had replied, “I am not the Inquisitor any longer, Cullen.”

“But you intend to stay and help, yes?” Josephine had asked.

“No,” Ellana had said, “I do not. I saved the world once because someone had to. Now, it is time for another hero to rise. I have a different path I need to follow.”

They had looked at her like she had grown another head; one that only spoke Tevene.

“You’re going to join him, aren’t you? You, the Inquisitor, are going to leave and join the man, who wants to destroy the world,” Cullen had said. He had sounded accusing.

“That is a very negative way of looking at it, Cullen,” she had replied.

“Is that so? How do you look at it, then?”

“What benefit will come from me saving the world if I let the man I love destroy himself?”

“It’s not Solas destroying himself that worries me, but the destruction of the world,” Cullen had said.

“That is the difference between us, Cullen,” Ellana had said, “I want to save both.”

After that, Ellana had left the room. She had heard footsteps behind her and someone had taken hold of her remaining hand. She had stopped to see Dario. He had looked sad. That had been going around.

“Are you sure about this?” Dario had asked, “I know you think you care for him, but… He doesn’t act like he returns the feeling. Are you sure you want to throw your life away to help someone, who keeps leaving you behind? Regardless of what you might tell yourself, thanks to your Maker damn clan, you deserve better.”

Ellana had looked him in the eye. It had been obvious that he cared for her more than she had guessed.

“I have come to understand Solas a little,” she had replied, “Solas and I… We have profound similarities: We are broken people, who have, at some point, been given too much to carry. We have come to place the happiness of others above our own. We feel like they deserve it more than us.”

“And you think that two broken things will make a whole?”

“I think that two broken people understand each other,” Ellana had replied, “You know, when I was struggling the most with being the unwilling Herald of a prophet, who is nothing to me, Solas’ was the only council that actually helped me. Now I know, why. It is not dissimilar to what happened to him.”

“I am sorry to say this, Ellana, but none of this means that he cares for you as much as you care for him,” Dario had said, trying to sound gentle, “He still broke up with you. He still left you behind today, minus one hand.”

“He was and is trying to protect me, the hardheaded idiot. He is probably hoping that I will forget and leave him to wallow in guilt.”

“You could do that. I’d very much like it if you did that.”

“I am sorry, Dario,” Ellana had said, “You are a catch and I could point you towards several lovely ladies, who agree with my assessment. But my heart was stolen years ago by a freaking elven myth with an amazing ass. And he needs me now more than ever.”

At that, she had left him and gone to search for Dagna. She had had a special project for the Arcanist. Ellana thought about the expression of sheer enthusiasm as she had told the dwarf, what she needed.

Ellana looked at her hands. The artificial hand Dagna had made her was magnificent. It was bigger and heavier than her other hand, but it came with many benefits, so she had decided to live with it. It had digits that could be moved with a concentrated effort of will, thanks to the lyrium woven into them. Her experience with casting ice statues had helped her a lot. The concentration and finesse required for casting ice was similar to the one needed to work her new hand. True, she would never be able to play the lute, but she was fine with that.

The best part of the new hand was that she did not need a staff anymore. It would just slow her down. Her hand was all the focus and enhancement her magic needed. It was not as powerful as the anchor had been, but it carried a considerable kick all the same. She had spent the past couple of months getting to terms with the hand – just like she had done with the anchor. It was funny how history moved in circles.

Fen’Harel’s bark pulled Ellana out of her reverie. There was a small cottage that looked out of place in the middle of the swampy land. Who would voluntarily live there? Ellana thought, which made her realize how far she had come from being Dalish. Yes, the forest could be nice. Yes, she would love to go back to the Emerald Graves and enjoy the greenery. But, after that, she would want to return to a comfy and warm home, where all her friends lived. Too bad there was no such place anymore.

Ellana dismounted and walked her horse closer to the cottage. She eased the belt of his saddle and fastened him from the halter to a nearby tree. She missed Augustine but she had had to leave him behind. A lone elf, riding a giant nug and followed by a huge wolf would have been too conspicuous.

Ellana went to the door. She took a deep breath and knocked. A moment of silence was followed by the sounds of light steps. The door opened and Ellana was faced with the questioning eyes of Morrigan.

“Sorry to bother you, but I am in dire need of your help. I need to consult the Vir’abelasan.”

\--

Solas stepped through an Eluvian into his solitary lair. He threw away his fur coat and lit a fire with one glare at the fireplace. He glanced at the unfinished research on his desk and the unbelievably tall pile of books, but decided against work. His mind was too unsettled for it that night. 

Everything was going according to Solas’ plan, but it brought him no satisfaction, no joy, no sense of accomplishment. If Ellana was there, she would ask him, when had been the last time he had smiled. But she was not there, was she? Solas knew the answer to her question, though. “The last time I saw you,” he would have said.

Solas held his breath and balled his hands into fists so tightly that his nails bit into his skin. Then he let out the breath and opened the fists. He was stronger than this, he told himself, as he had done so many times before. He had done the right thing. He had set her free. He had let her go to live her life as she pleased… With whomever she chose. He would not plague her anymore. He would trespass in her dreams no longer. He would leave her alone, even if it killed him.

Solas walked to his favorite wall. He stared at it until he reached the necessary calm. When that was done, he grabbed his paints, and started working.

Solas had been so engrossed in his art that it took several suspicious noises out of the other room to focus on his surroundings. He put the paints away and advanced silently towards the open door. Someone was moving around his lair. Solas was a little surprised by how fast he had acquired new enemies. Surely the Qunari had not rallied again? The more important question than the identity of the enemy was how they had gotten in. The two Eluvians at the opposite sides of the lair were the only ways into his space. It should not have been possible for anyone to get inside.

Solas had thought that he had been silent, but he must have been wrong. The noises came quickly closer and closer to him and, before he realized it, he was on the floor with a heavy weight on him. Solas stared in bafflement at the muzzle of a wolf. Soon it became mostly the tongue of the wolf, since the beast started licking his face eagerly. He tried to move the loving wolf away, but it turned out to be more difficult than he had anticipated.

Solas’ efforts were interrupted by his most favorite sound in the entire world, a very dear laugh.

“I guess this is what they call Fen’Harel on Fen’Harel action.”

“Would you… Please,” Solas said and tried to dodge another lick, “Get your wolf off me?”

“Why? Is he muddling your makeup? I know he is not messing up your hair.”

“Please?”

“Fine, you little crybaby,” she said, “Fen’Harel, sit.”

The wolf sat on Solas’ stomach.

“He is still on me,” Solas pointed out.

“Yes, and he will remain there until we are done talking. History has taught me that you are a flight risk, so I am taking precautions. I have stuff I need to make you understand, even though I know that you are a little slow to grasp certain things.”

She looked around, walked to the nearest chair, dragged it closer, and sat on it. When Solas looked at her, something struck him.

“You have two hands.”

“Yes, I do. You are very observant,” she said and showed the new hand to him, “Dagna made it. Is it not a thing of beauty? Lyrium makes it work. In many ways, it is better than the old one.”

A cold hand squeezed at Solas’ heart. She had lost her hand because of him. Another entry to the list of how he had hurt her.

“I am sorry,” he said gravely.

“Shit happens,” she said and shrugged.

“Because of me,” he replied.

She looked sharply at him.

“Listen to me, Solas,” she said emphatically, “I do not blame you for this. For any of this. I blame Corypheus. Was your plan careless and ill-advised? Yes, absolutely. But everyone makes mistakes, even the great Dread Wolf himself.”

“You are too dismissive of my guilt. I am responsible, even if I did not actually perform the deed.”

“Why should I blame you? You are doing such a fantastic job of blaming yourself. I imagine that you have been doing that for the past four years. Not to mention all the time you have spent on blaming yourself for the plight of the elves instead of blaming the Evanuris, the actual culprits. That is enough, Solas, you hear me? That is enough!”

Solas remained quiet. He considered the sadness that had been laced into her voice. It was true that he had beaten himself up over all that had happened for longer than he cared to remember. How had she known that? Why would she care?

“I can see you thinking,” she said, “I care because I love you, you idiot. When we met the last time, I saw you, the real you. I caught a glimpse of your feelings. I cannot express how much it killed me to see you so sad. So alone. Your tombstone in the Fade said that your worst fear was dying alone. I know that I cannot match your lifetime, but I am here so that you will not have to live alone. Not unless you want to.”

“Why did you come? I left you, twice. You should hate me.”

She scoffed.

“Like I said, you are slow on the uptake. It seems that I will need to take drastic measures to make you understand.”

She stood up and snapped her fingers for the wolf to move away. As soon as he did, she replaced him, though her weight was not on Solas’ stomach, but further south. He had to take a deep breath. This conversation was beginning to look like an uphill battle.

“The first time you left me, you broke my heart, you wanker,” she said, “I had believed that you loved me but you leaving made me sure that I had been mistaken. I have abandonment issues for reasons you are familiar with. It seemed like a familiar scenario – I loved someone but they did not love me back. I was, again, left alone to mend my broken heart. But then you had to go ahead and kill those people, who had tried to hurt me. That and the note you left made me doubt. And that small sliver of doubt kept me dreaming about you. That one day I would meet you again. And then I did.”

“And I left you again.”

She raised an eyebrow at him.

“You know, Solas,” she said, “For a wise man, you really can be incredibly dumb.”

“I beg your pardon?”

“If you leave someone to protect them, that kind of says ‘I love you’ in a dumb, manly sort of way. It is the same as leaving your lady behind when you go into war. That is fine and dandy, if your lady would be useless in a war. But if she is not, that is just stupid.”

Solas opened his mouth to respond, but she cut him off.

“And if you try to deny that you love me, I can tell you to look at the five-foot-tall picture of me on your wall,” she said and looked at it for a minute, “I think you may have been a little too forgiving of my facial flaws, but that is your right. You can paint whatever you want on the wall of your bachelor pad. And,” she said and leaned closer to him, “I know that someone has been snooping on my dreams for a long time. Tell me, how was it to watch yourself have sex with me?”

There was no need for Solas to answer that. His hardening erection was doing it for him. She chuckled darkly and moved her hips against his. He groaned.

“So, this is it, Solas. The moment of truth,” she said, “I love you. I do not blame you and I want you to stop blaming yourself. I want to stay with you and share your troubles. I want to make you happy. The question is: do you want me to?”

Solas looked in wonder into the eyes of the woman, who loved him. There was only one possible answer to her question. He pulled her forcefully to him and kissed her hungrily. Mid-kiss, he rolled them around so that he ended up on top of her. Their breaths grew shallow as they tugged at each other’s clothing. He had no patience for it, so he just ripped hers off and attacked the bare skin that had been revealed. She made the most delicious moan when he sucked her nipple. He snaked a hand between her legs and dipped two fingers into her awaiting heat. She was already soaking. It was too much.

Solas struggled out of his leggings and resumed his place between her legs. He was burning with the need to penetrate her, to take her, to make her his again. He looked at her beautiful, wide eyes, as he entered her. It was heaven.

“Ar lath ma, vhenan,” he said, “Ar lath ma.”

She repeated it back to him. They began moving together. There was no time for gentleness; that would become later. It had been too long. Now it was pure need that cried out to be satisfied. It was driving them both wild. There was moaning, biting, kissing, sucking, and the ache to be as close as possible. Only a few more deep thrusts and they came together.

They stayed there for a while, joined, catching their breaths.

“I missed you so much, vhenan,” he said.

“I gathered that,” she replied with a chuckle. He joined her laugh.

“Just before your wolf assaulted me, I realized that I had not smiled in a long time,” he said, looking at her, “Now, I feel like I cannot stop.”

“Then do not,” she said, “I love your smile. It looks like a promise.”

“Funny you should say that,” he said and kissed her eagerly.

“What, again? You cannot already be…” Her words were cut off when he moved inside her to demonstrate that he already was.

“I did say that I have missed you, did I not?”

Instead of replying, she kissed him, rolled them over, and took the lead.

\--

When Ellana woke up the next morning, she found herself staring at Solas’ sleeping face. If that was not fantastic enough, he was smiling in his dream. She was so happy, she was about to burst. He had finally heard her. He loved her. He was going to let her stay with him. He was so getting lucky tonight and every night – and day – after that.

Solas mumbled something in his sleep and tightened his hold of Ellana. She knew that their future would not be easy. He still had his plans. There were people out there trying to get him. There was one thing Ellana had decided before coming to him. She was going to protect the man she loved – even from himself.

Ellana noticed Solas stirring next to her. A flash of panic visited his face before he saw her and melted into a smile.

“I feared I had dreamed you,” he said, “I cannot tell you how many times I dreamed of you, only to find you gone in the morning.”

Ellana kissed him.

“Well, now I am here with you. And I will be, as long as you want.”

“Then it is settled,” he said, “You will be here forever.”

“Done.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The End.
> 
> That's The Tale of The Grinning Elf, folks. It has been fun. Thanks to all of you, who have stuck with the story for the past months. It has been an enormous boost to motivation to know that someone out there is actually enjoying the fic and looking forward to new chapters.
> 
> Be well! :)


End file.
